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WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPENAugust 14, 2012Samantha StosurCINCINNATI, OHIO S. STOSUR/A. Medina Garrigues THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. Talk about the third set. You were down 4‑0 and then won six straight games. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, it was an interesting third set considering the whole match was really quite close. There was no breaks in that second set, and then straightaway got myself in quite a hole quite quickly and made too many errors. I don't think she necessarily did that much more, but I kind of let myself down with some hitting errors too early and got in that big hole. I thought, I can still regroup and close that gap just a little bit. If you can do that, then you never know what can happen. Got on a roll and managed to squeeze it out 6‑4. Q. You won 88% of your first serve points in the second set and 64% in the second set. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, obviously if you've got a good first serve or a good serve in general, you want to be winning a high percentage. That second set I didn't feel too troubled at all on serve. That shows I didn't know the percentages. That's something good to know in the back of your mind. If you can keep that percentage high, then you're probably going to have a good chance of winning those service games. Q. What do you think was the cause of the second set getting away from you, the second set with the tiebreak? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I mean, I didn't play that bad. I had match point. There was a ball at 5‑4. I'm not too sure her return was in, but I played it and then couldn't challenge it. If that ball goes out then you've got two match points. It was just tight. You know, she played well, I played well, and it was just a tiebreak. You know, you get to that 6‑All point, it can go either way. Unfortunately, it didn't go mine again. Q. How much of slow start in the third was being distracted thinking, you know, Why am I in a third set here? SAMANTHA STOSUR: No, to be honest, I just tried to just ‑‑obviously I thought I could have won the match already by that point, but, yeah, that change of ends I just tried to sit there and not think about, Okay, what did I just let slip and just tried to start again. I didn't get off to the greatest of starts. I don't know if that was that was because I was dwelling on the second set so much. Q. Did you feel the vibe with the crowd in the third set? You were down 4‑0, like I said, and the night crowd came in and they were really getting behind you late in the third set. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, for sure it was a good atmosphere out there. You know, they love their tennis here. I think they wanted to see watching that third set. For sure you go back to grab your towel and you hear people saying, Come on, you can do it, or hang in there. That's a good feeling when you feel the crowd is behind you and willing you on to try and, you know, play a little bit better and hopefully win the match. Q. Was it a struggle with the timing in the third set? There were quite a few forehanders that were just pushed a little long or shanked off left and right. SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, the start of the third, it was like ‑‑ throughout that second set I thought I was hitting the ball quite well. The start of the third it didn't feel too bad, but obviously, yeah, that far, they were missing outside and then one would miss by a meter, and then you would be that close again. I think it's still, you know, myself, and I'm sure a lot of the other players, are still trying to find that timing from being on the grass for so long. You on these good hard courts with the ball bouncing up and it's really quite light through the air. Sometimes feels great and sometimes you think, God, that still felt good but I missed it by a mile. As each day goes on you're going to feel that better. Q. How are you feeling now physically? Tired? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I mean, so far I feel all right. I guess I'll find out more later tonight when I lay down in bed how achey and I sore I am. I played some long matches lately and pulled up well. Hopefully this will be no different. Q. Would you have preferred to have a shorter match, or is this match okay as the first round as long as you get through it? SAMANTHA STOSUR: No doubt I would have preferred to close it out in straight sets having match point. But, no, it's a good feeling to come back and win a match like after being down that deficit in the third. I will certainly take it. You know, it's a great feeling to come through a match like that where you have been down and you come through and win. So, yeah, I'm happy no matter which way. Q. Two weeks from the Open, being so close to it, does it feel like it has been quick this last year? Kind of shocked that we're back in NewYork soon? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Yeah, I do feel like from when I won to now has gone‑‑ it's flown by, to me. Yeah, all of a sudden you get to an America and obviously there is that hype and we have the big leadup tournaments. Everyone is talking about the US Open again. I feel like it's come by pretty fast. Always gonna look forward to going back there the year after you win for sure. Q. Your record since the French has been sort of probably not where you'd want it to be sort of at this stage, US Open Series. Is that concerning you at all sort of going forward with your prep? SAMANTHA STOSUR: For sure you want to win as many matches. You never want to lose. You know, it's the ideal situation. Yeah, for sure I would have liked to have won some more matches, but I think playing a match like this tonight and getting through that is a huge confidence booster. Hopefully I can really use that to, you know, get a bit of momentum and start building that confidence. It hasn't been the greatest record, but I haven't played too many matches, either. I'm just looking at it from the way I'm playing and not thinking about how many I have lost or won. It's just going out there and playing and trying to keep improving the way I'm playing. Q. Pretty much all the matches you have played in your career have been best‑of‑three set matches since you're on the WTA Tour, slams and the regular tour events. There has been some discussion after the Olympics where best‑of‑three for the men, making it best‑of‑three at slams for them as well. Do you have any thoughts on that possible change? SAMANTHA STOSUR: It's not going to bother me whether they play best‑of‑three or best‑of‑five. I mean, we won't have to wait so long if it goes five‑hour, five‑set match. But I could care less. Doesn't matter. Guys have more of an opinion on that than us. Q. Changing subjects a little bit, you played mixed doubles in the past and been a mixed doubles Grand Slam champion. Can you talk about playing mixed, what you enjoyed about it, what you didn't enjoy about it as much? SAMANTHA STOSUR: I do enjoy playing mixed, actually. It's one of those events where things in a match can turn so quickly. In the mixed there is usually the short deuce and the super‑tiebreaker finish. Quite often you think, Oh, if you get a break on the girl's serve you're in a really great position to win the set; whereas you don't necessarily always think like that when you're playing normal doubles or singles. I really like it. I think it's fine. You get to play against the guys. Most of them have got big serves, but you can kind of stand further behind the baseline. Okay, I'm going to pick 50/50 here; you guess right and you hit a few winners. The crowd gets really excited when a girl hits a winner off the guy's serve. It's good fun. So I think where I want to play and, you know, scheduling and all that, I do enjoy it a lot. Q. In your partnerships with Bob, with Scott, like what made them really successful, you know, mixed doubles partnerships in your opinion? SAMANTHA STOSUR: Well, for sure with Bob his serve, I mean, and I think he was maybe No. 1 in the world at that point when we played. You know, he's so relaxed. You go out there, you play, he's big, he takes over the net. You know, I really didn't have to do anything when he was serving. You kind of just walk side to side and, good, that's done. You try and return and make a few there. With Scott, it was a little bit different now. I was quite young. At that point he was actually trying to get his golf career going, so we didn't practice at all together. We just showed up for the matches and something clicked. Again, it's part of mixed. Anyone in the draw can kind of get through. You see the Jack Sock and Melanie Oudin win US Open on a wildcard. You certainly didn't expect that to happen. They go out there and everything comes together, and, yeah, anyone can beat anyone. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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